


All The Ghosts Are Dead

by usssamwell



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jack is a understanding and supportive boyfriend, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Star Trek AU, Tarsus IV, Vulcan Jack, ashayam is vulcan jack's bud, despite being a Vulcan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:11:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usssamwell/pseuds/usssamwell
Summary: Star Trek AU where Jack is worried about Bitty not turning up for his shift so goes to investigate after his shift. Based around Bitty's experiences on Tarsus IV.-Normally when a crew member had reported sick it was a normal occurrence but Bitty did not call in sick. Didn’t even stay in bed when Ransom threatened to take him off active duty for two weeks. Plus it was unlike Bitty not to message Jack himself. He could be trapped in a coal mine with no signal and he would, somehow, manage to send a message. This time however no comm message, no video call, not even a small passed along message from Shitty. It was hard to get through his shift without letting his emotions slip through to the surface. Jack was concerned, more than concerned; he was worried.





	All The Ghosts Are Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Before reading I explain that although there is no explicit detail about the events that occurred on Tarsus IV it is implied briefly in a conversation Bitty has with Jack. Hence the implied/reference tags listed above. There is no graphic depictions hence why I haven't altered the warnings. It is more about Bitty talking through the events in his own words. 
> 
> So if you feel that it might be upsetting to you, and perhaps even trigger you in some way, I advise that you step away, get yourself a drink, put on that song you like and perhaps don't read the fic. Don't put yourself through this if you think the mere implication of these events are going to hurt you. You deserve to be safe and happy and I understand.

No one had heard from Bitty for the entire day. Well expect Shitty who had announced that they would not be seeing their favourite navigator on the bridge. It had been a long, tedious shift, and Jack had been almost bouncing in his chair the entire time. Normally when a crew member had reported sick it was a normal occurrence but Bitty did not call in sick. Didn’t even stay in bed when Ransom threatened to take him off active duty for two weeks. Plus it was unlike Bitty not to message Jack himself. He could be trapped in a coal mine with no signal and he would, somehow, manage to send a message. This time however no comm message, no video call, not even a small passed along message from Shitty. It was hard to get through his shift without letting his emotions slip through to the surface. Jack was concerned, more than concerned; he was worried. It had been difficult not to just pass control over to Lardo and go to see if Bitty was okay the moment he found out but that wouldn’t be very professional of him. So he sat there, counting the seconds in his head and staring into the darkness of space. 

The moment his shift ended, and he had completed any necessary paperwork, Jack made his way towards Bitty’s living quarters. If he had less control he would have ran. Instead he took the agonising slow lift down to the correct floor and headed towards the end barracks. A few of the crew greeted him on his way, Jack even stopped to answer a few questions from the new ensign assigned to engineering. By the time he reached Bitty’s door Jack was almost ready to let his shields drop. Despite all his control the nagging worry in the back at his head had been eating at his restrain. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the door was locked. Normally Bitty had no problem hailing people in, let alone Jack. Frowning at the door Jack reached back over to the panel and keyed in his override. Sure it was a gross misuse of his code but if he couldn’t use it to enter his boyfriend’s quarters when he could be on death’s door then why else?

When the door slid open a waft of cold air hit Jack head on, sending shivers up his spine. Normally when he walked in Bit's quarters he was reminded of Vulcan, of the blazing heat beating down on his neck and the dry air filling his lungs. This was far from being home. In the pitch black that engulfed the room Jack could make out the small movements from the corner of the room, those akin to a wounded animal. Rushing to the bed he crouched down by the side and placed his hand against Bitty’s back.

“Ashayam,” Jack said softly. Bitty remained unmoved on the bed, his breathing shallow. It slowly dawned on Jack that Bitty must have been like this all day, in the dark and cold. Alone. “Computer, lights to thirty percent.”

Jack couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath when the lights slowly began to rise. His boyfriend looked a mess. Still dressed in his sleep wear from the night before, the sheets a jumbled up mess at the bottom of the bed and Bit’s stuffed rabbit forgotten on the floor. Next to him was his PADD, barely inches away.  As if he had opened it this morning and left it abandoned since. Bitty himself was curled up facing the wall. If he hadn’t been looking closely Jack would have missed the slight tremors his boyfriend was emitting.

“Come on, Bits. Time to sit up.” Moving on up to the bed Jack wrapped his arms around Bitty’s shoulders and helped him sit up to rest against Jack’s side. Looking down Jack could see the tear marks running down Bitty’s face. Whatever it was was bad. Jack wanted to help, to ease the pain and take it all away. He could do that easily but Bitty didn’t like it when Jack had entered his conscious unannounced in the past. Now wouldn’t be any different. If Bitty wanted to open up and talk about it it had to be on his own terms. Against him Bitty seemed almost lifeless. “Ashayam, what is it? If I don’t know I can’t help.”

Instead of words Bitty reached down to his PADD and passed it to Jack without looking before burrowing himself into the crook of Jack’s neck. Opening up the comms Jack found the incoming correspondents were open, which in itself for Bitty was nothing out of the usual. What was unusual was the message that Bitty had on and who it was from. It didn’t take long for Jack to scan the message from the captain of the Enterprise and it left him with more questions than when he began.

“He wanted to tell me himself,” came the rasped voice tucked away. “Didn’t want me to read it in some report.”

“I wasn’t aware-”

“No one is,” Bitty interrupted, looking back up. “Except a few people. A lot less now I guess.”

The laugh that emitted from Bitty’s lips was bitter, containing none of its usual sunshine or warmth that Jack loved to hear. It was painful. He would give anything to make it go away. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want t-”

“I was five." Bits interrupted quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth. "My parents were away in the Delta Quadrant for work so they left me with my Aunt Judy on Tarsus. It was fine at first,” sighing Bitty leaned forward, bringing his knees up to his chest. “Then the crops started dying. All the grown ups were so serious, I didn’t understand.”

Placing his hand back onto Bitty’s back Jack tried to send some positive energy through to help Bitty feel a little stronger. He didn't want to push Bitty too hard into saying anything he didn't want to. The fact that it was about Tarsus IV of all places must have made it even harder. Whatever Jack sent must have worked because the strain seemed to drop slightly from Bitty’s shoulders.

“They started taking people next. Aunt Judy managed to hide me in the kitchen cupboard. I was stuck in there for so long. I thought those four tiny walls was all I would ever see again,” he shuddered. Looking up at the ceiling Bitty laughed again as if it was somehow funny. Jack realised, however, that it was probably the only way for Bitty to carry on. “That was the last time I ever saw her. Thomas found me first. I thought he was going to take me too, he never did forgive me for the split lip.”

Reaching back to his PADD Bitty fumbled around, opening a few files, before handing it back to Jack. “There was nine of us in the end. I was the youngest, bottom right. Kevin, Thomas, me; Jim kept us safe. Right up ‘til the end.”

“He’s a kind man,” Jack smiled, thinking back on his meetings with Jim Kirk back at the academy. 

“Kind doesn’t even cut it. I’m alive because of him.” Turning around Bitty began to fiddle with cuff of his shirt. “We got captured in the end, got taken to the man himself. I still see the fire sometimes in my sleep. Those eyes staring back at me from the top of the stairs. His guards beat us for fun. It got hard to see out of my eyes they were that black."

“Oh.” Suddenly it all made sense. The issues with hand to hand combat. The confined spaces. How Bitty would punish himself for even giving someone a bruise accidentally. The fact Bitty would never leave a single scrap of food spare on his plate, no matter how full he was.

“Luckily Starfleet arrived in time, y’know? Before the guards could carry out Kodos's latest orders. Jim managed to get us all out of there before the place burnt down. Mama never let me leave her side again, not that I wanted to. For weeks after I would still wake up ready to fight because I was still there in my sleep. Still hunting down rats for food or watching Jim bury another person. Watching the guards get the nooses ready outside our cell.” Bitty’s breath hitched, as if it was caught in his throat. “I thought it was over. All these years I thought it was over and now they’re gone because of him. She was going to get me next.”

“Oh Bits,” Jack sighed as he rested his hand on Bitty’s. “You’re safe now.”

“Because Jim looked after me again!” Bitty snapped. “He almost killed them, Jack. She almost… She did… Molson, Eames… Thomas… and here I am helpless all over again.”

“Hey, you are not helpless. You are a Starfleet officer. You were the top of your classes. Just last week you saved the entire crew from a dark matter field.” Pulling Bitty towards him as the tears began to fall Jack encapsulated him into his arms. “You are so strong, Ashayam. I am so proud of you.”

“All these years I thought it was over and he was out there as if nothing ever happened. He got to have a family and make it all go away.” 

Bitty was well and truly shaking now. Jack knew he needed to calm him down, even if it meant getting him to rest. Slowly lowered them down onto the mattress, Jack made sure he didn't let go. Just allowed himself to be the grounding force Bitty needed. It took awhile for Bitty to find a steady pace, evening out slightly which put Jack's mind a bit at ease. The room, however, was not doing any good for Bitty’s well being or recovery, it still being way too cold for either of them to be comfortable. “Think about the family you made here. How many people love and care for you.”

Sniffling Bitty looked up and smiled meekly up at his boyfriend. “Thank you, Sweetpea.”

“I’m always here for you, Ashayam.”

“I know. It’s just hard to let anybody in about this,” Bitty sighed, still shaking slightly in Jack's arms. His face darkened in a way that Jack had never seen before. As if he was somehow channelling all the anger he could must. “I’m glad he’s dead. I’d kill him myself if I had the chance. I'd make him pay for everything.”

“That wouldn’t bring them back, Bits.”

“No. But they may rest easier.” The fight left Bitty’s body as he sagged into Jack’s side. The pair of them laid there for awhile, just letting themselves begin to recharge. More so for Bitty who felt the weight of the entire day fall on his shoulders. “I’m sorry I missed my shift today.”

“Nonsense. You had every logical reason not to report for duty today.”

Yawning Bitty tightened his grip against Jack’s side, not wanting to let go. The day had been long and exhausting. The emotional turmoil taking its strain on him. It was easy to see how much this had weighed on him, he dreaded to think what he would see in the mirror. “Sleep, Ashayam. I will be here when you wake.”

Looking up at Jack Bitty smiled before resting his head back onto Jack’s chest. His eyes heavy. “Thank you, Honey.”

It didn’t take long for Bitty to fall into deep sleep. His grip on Jack not loosening in his slumber. The worrying was still etched into the lines of his face and it pained Jack to seem him struggle. He had no idea that Bitty went through all that he did and at such a young age. He was glad that Bitty trusted him enough to tell him but knowing that he had kept it to himself for so long was heartbreaking. If he had it his way Bitty would never feel this way ever again. No one would even get the chance to hurt him. Reaching up to touch Bitty’s face Jack pressed his fingers into the pressure points of Bitty’s temple. He couldn’t take the memories away but he could make it easier for him for now. Bitty wouldn’t mind this. The soft intrusion on feelings, not memories. To help alleviate their control on Bitty's psyche. “Forget.”

The lines on Bitty’s face eased away and he appeared almost peaceful. Jack knew that when Bitty woke up that they would need to do more talking. More listening and working through the pain; there was still so much more to do but for now Jack was pressed against his boyfriend’s sleeping form and that was a;; that mattered. As he looked down Jack was overwhelmed with affection. Bitty was so strong and compassionate, even more than he first thought. The strength inside of Bitty was too much for even him to comprehend or calculate and, Jack realised, even if he dedicated his entire life to doing so he would never even come close. “Computer, raise temperature to standard.”

Closing his eyes Jack allowed himself to fall into a meditation trance. In his mind he could feel the gentle buzz of Bitty’s mind touching his. The soft flow of its essence intermingling with his own. Letting himself ease into his mind he reached out to his t’hy’la to feel the comfort of their minds melding together. There was still a spike of discomfort within Bitty’s mind, no doubt plagued by memories of things from years ago. Reaching out Jack ran his fingers between the tendrils, transferring as much love and support as he could until the static of Bitty’s mind because to cease and he felt engulfed with the warmth he had now become accustom to

  
_Taluhk nash-veh k’dular, Ashayam_ . Jack transmitted over to Bitty, as they both began to fall into the warmth of each other’s minds. _Shom-tor_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, guys. I am sorry I did this to Bitty but it plays a big scheme into my background for Bitty in my Star Trek AU. Which, now I have finished uni, I can finally continue writing. Below if a help guide for some of the words or references, if you need it. 
> 
> _Ashayam_ \- Vulcan for “Beloved”  
>  _PADD_ \- Personal Access Display Device, a handheld computer interface  
>  _Tarsus IV_ \- An Earth colony, fourth inhabited planet in its star system. In 2246 an exotic fungus destroyed most of the food supply. Governor Kodos ordered a mass execution of half the population, based of his own theories of eugenics, in order to "help" the remainder of the colonists.  
>  _T’hy’la_ \- A Vulcan word literally translated to "friend, brother, lover.  
>  _Taluhk nash-veh k’dular_ \- A Vulcan phrase for for “I cherish thee”  
>  _Shom-tor_ \- Vulcan word (verb form) for “rest”


End file.
